


Shine

by Cerch



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Fluff, Happy Laurent, Horses, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-09 12:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8891599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerch/pseuds/Cerch
Summary: Being a king and ruling two kingdoms is not always easy, but Laurent learns to be happy.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Trismegistus (Lebateleur)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lebateleur/gifts).



> Dear Trismegistus,
> 
> You asked for some post-canon Captive Prince and I did my best to provide; it's hardly intrigue (who am I kidding it's just me trying to write happy!Laurent) but I hope you enjoy this fluffy snapshot of their future. I wish you most wonderful holidays!

The first rays of sun are barely peeking over the walls of the palace of Arles when three riders dressed in Akielon fashion arrive to the palace courtyard, their shadows stretching long in front of them. Laurent’s eyes linger on the dark curls and the unmistakably royal set of shoulders of the first rider, wrapped in a red cloak.

”You’re here,” Laurent says, hears the disbelief and earnestness, and clutches his hands tightly, trying to contain his fluttering heartbeat even when his head tells him, _it’s not wise for him to be here._

King Damianos of Akielos, and the King Consort of Vere, dismounts his horse with shining eyes, landing to the frost covered cobblestones of Arles. He drops the reins of his horse to the groom who had followed Laurent as he had stormed (he had certainly not ran) out, and strides up to Laurent, staring at his face.

“I’ve missed you,” Damen says, cradling Laurent’s hands in his, and Laurent gives in, letting himself to reach up for a soft but chaste kiss.

Damen’s face is open with delight, free of worry, and the two Akielon soldiers look quietly amused more than anything else. Laurent gives them a cool look, but the current of _what if_ s eases a little, and he decides that questions can wait at least until they’re inside.

“You interrupted a council meeting,” Laurent says, the reproach sounding weak to his own ears. “But I’m sure it can be postponed in the face of your unexpected arrival.” Few of them might be thrown off their game now, and as long as Laurent doesn’t give them too long to regroup it can all play out to his advantage.

Damen chuckles fondly. “You’re scheming.”

“I don’t scheme,” Laurent says, and smiles genuinely for what feels like the first time in forever.

⋆⋆⋆❂⋆⋆⋆

In their private chambers Laurent wraps his hands tightly around Damen and buries his head into his shoulder, breathing in the smell of road and horses.

“You are not at Marlas,” he murmurs.

Damen’s arms tighten momentarily, solid as rock and deceptively comforting. Laurent could easily stay there forever, cradled in comfort and protected from the world. But Laurent owes Damen his protection as well.

“We have taken care of the worst of it,” Damen answers into his hair. “There’s nothing Nikandros and the other kyroi can’t handle or that can’t wait until a messenger reaches us.”

“Damen,” Laurent says, shifting to look him straight into the eye. “One mistake could be all that it takes to undo all of it.”

Damen faces him squarely, like he has always done. “We can’t be everywhere at once.”

The underlying principle is, of course, true, but it doesn’t mean that Laurent has to like it. “No, but we can be in two places at once, which is an advantage we’d be idiotic to disregard.”

“Laurent,” Damen says, still annoyingly sweet, ignoring the bite in Laurent’s words. “You are brilliant. But we are both better together –“ Laurent hates how his cheeks are warming up –“And none of it is worth it we can’t be together.”

Laurent pulls Damen’s head down and kisses him slow and deep, trying not to think, _how can I deserve him._ But he also knows that though Damen means it, Damen was always meant to be a king – and Laurent couldn’t deal with Damen resenting him if he cost him his kingdom.

That being said, Damen is probably right, and Laurent could send out a few messengers – later.

“You play dirty,” Laurent observes against Damen’s lips, voice as wry as he can muster.

“Only a Veretian would describe honesty as a dirty tactical manoeuvre.”

“Only an Akielon wouldn’t consider every word as a possible weapon.”

Damen huffs quietly and places a soft kiss on Laurent’s brow. “How I’ve missed you.”

“You said that already,” Laurent points out. “But – I’ve missed you too.” He cocks his head, trying not to melt in the look that seems to consist of pure adoration. “And I think it’s time we got to the part where we go to bed and you fuck me senseless.”

Damen lets out a full bellied laugh that sounds like fucking _sunshine_ and vibrates pleasantly against Laurent’s body, before manoeuvring them towards the bed.

Of course, what they do in bed has never been something that could accurately be described as _fucking_ but Laurent is damned if he lets the words “make love” cross his lips – but this time, too, Damen is so gentle, so lavish with his attentions that Laurent is left trembling with the force of his – their – feelings.

⋆⋆⋆❂⋆⋆⋆

“Are we sneaking out?” Damen asks, when he sees the simple soldier’s gear Laurent has laid out for both of them.

Laurent bites back a retort along the lines of “your powers of observation are astonishing _”_ , because he made himself a promise to try to hide less from Damen, who deserves to know how much Laurent loves him.

“I want to keep you for myself for a while longer,” he says after a moment, focusing on the laces of his shirt. _They’re just words,_ he tells himself, but he can feel the heat on his cheeks anyway.

Damen shifts closer and takes Laurent’s hand battling with laces into his own and rests his forehead atop of Laurent’s. Sometimes, Laurent is afraid that what he feels for Damen is too much and that he will break under it, but now, though he feels like shattering, he knows Damen will keep him together.

“Let me help,” Damen says softly.

“Fine,” Laurent breathes out. “But you better get to it, because we don’t have all day.”

Damen’s hands are shift with practice and the simple uniform has much fewer laces than a prince’s outfit; Laurent could have easily dressed himself.

When Damen starts lacing his own clothes Laurent batts his hands away and does them up quickly and efficiently without saying a word. When he looks up Damen smiles and kisses him.

⋆⋆⋆❂⋆⋆⋆

Laurent’s gray mare greets him with a soft neigh, and Laurent takes a small moment to scratch her neck, making her muzzle wobble in pleasure. She had been a gift from Damen when they had had to part few months ago. It has felt like years.

“Where is everyone?” Damen asks.

“They know to leave me alone when I come for a ride.”

“Laurent –“

“Damianos. I discussed it with them perfectly politely.”

Damen laughs, and fastens a buckle in his geldings bridle. “You can be perfectly polite and still terrifying.”

He is well aware of that; it’s a skill he relishes. “I can also be charming,” he says, and opens the stall door. “I think they like me.” He treasures that as well, though much more secretly.

They take their horses out and mount at the grounds near the back gate. Adeline and Remi, the guards at the back gate – Laurent has made a point of knowing as many people working for him as possible – barely blink before bowing and letting them through.

They have barely ridden few paces before Damen suddenly whips to look at him. “You did tell Jord we’re going, right?” Damen asks.

Laurent rolls his eyes. “I left him a note. Otherwise he would have tagged along. He _hovers_.”

Damen groans. “He is going to kill us.”

“I think that would be rather counterproductive.”

Their words mist in the cold air, and the streets around them sparkle when sun hits the frost crystals covering every surface from wilting flowers to stone walls. It’s not usual for Arles to be this cold, at least for long, but Damen has arrived in the middle of a cold spell and Laurent intents to enjoy it. He sneaks a look at Damen’s face and reads the open wonder from his eyes, and Laurent catches himself wondering how it would be to spend a winter in Ios, where the sun shone longer and the land always clung to summer.

Damen catches him looking. “It’s breathtaking,” he says and grins, the smile rivalling all the sparkle around them.

They walk through the city as it prepares for new day, the smells of fresh bread and a smith’s fire floating around them, though most people haven’t made it for the streets yet and the clip of hooves echoes over the muffled noises of living.

Laurent has no desire for tallying inside Arles though, so he takes them through the shortest road into the countryside, to the vast fields where the cattle graze and where they can ride freely, away from any prying eyes. The ground under them is perfect, not wet and slippery, but not frozen too hard either.

Laurent glances at Damen and waits for him to catch his eye. “Race you to the treeline,” he says, and spurs his mare, already prepared, forward.

The wind eats up the indignant words Damen shouts after him even as he urges his horse into a chase, and they surge forward together, flying over the ground.

Laurent can feel his mare putting everything into it, stretching further with each step, sharing her rider’s joy that breaks out of him in a wild laugh as they cross the treeline. His horse protests with a whip of her head as he reins her back but obeys.

Damen is smiling at him again, open and wide, so obviously in love with _Laurent_ that it almost hurts – except Laurent is too happy and too in love in return.

“I win. I think I deserve a kiss,” he says breathlessly.

Damen moves his horse closer, and grabs a hold of the front of Laurent’s tunic. Their eyes meet for a moment, dark brown and icy blue, and then Damen hauls him closer, almost dislodging Laurent’s seat, and kisses him. Damen’s lips are cold, but his mouth is warm and soft, and insistent – and when Laurent’s mare steps forward impatiently they barely manage to avoid falling down on their faces by some undignified flailing.

“Maybe we should dismount,” Laurent says, trying to supress his laugh – not giggles – and Damen nods solemnly.

⋆⋆⋆❂⋆⋆⋆

Jord doesn’t kill them, but he does give Damen a thorough scolding while Laurent re-assembles the interrupted council session. He manages to make them do exactly what he wants in record time, only using a few threats and mostly letting them think it was all their idea in the first place, and then goes to find Damen to discuss the current political situation with Vask.

 It feels like going home, for the first time in Arles since Auguste’s death, and somehow the thought doesn’t sting. Laurent is happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Note: Please do not try kissing anyone while you both sit on a horse, it's a terrible idea. Seriously.
> 
> Also writing Laurent's pov is hard and scary.


End file.
